Daisy Foster presents a pick of the best at the upcoming IOG Saltex exhibition, held at Windsor Racecourse from September 4th until the 6th of September.

RANSOMES JACOBSEN says that a visit to its Stand (U18) is a 'must' for all turf professionals. It returns after a year's absence with a host of new products, details of which the Ipswichbased manufacturer is at present keeping under wraps. The company that there will be exciting new launches for both the municipal and golf markets.

“Having produced the world's first lawnmower back in 1832, we are celebrating 175 years of continuous production. Our two-storey stand will again dominate the exhibition arena and will pay homage to many of the models produced over the past three centuries,” says Ransomes Jacobsen. There will be over 70 turf maintenance machines and related equipment on display, making U18 a must-see stand.

ARBOR EATER BRUSHWOOD CHIPPERS will be in their usual space at Saltex in the Demo Area B. A selection of machines from their range will be on show, including brushwood chippers for tree surgery waste, plus heating woodchip production, Piranha green waste shredders for soggy landscaping waste and pallets etc. There will also be firewood processing equipment to suit all budgets, making its stand one to visit.

“The Piranha S4000 is proving to be a popular machine with local authorities due to it being an adaptable, high specification machine at a very good price,” says sales director Lucy Dalrymple. “Most shredders on the market can shred dry waste, but the real test is shredding succulent soggy material.

The Piranha S4000 is screened so gives consistent quality, making is ideal for composting, and the output conveyor puts the shreds exactly where you want them, with no blockages. Also, with no plastic or fibreglass, your Piranha shredder will last.”

EUROMEC is featuring a number of new products this year, including the AC2000, an extra compact road sweeper with a 2m3 capacity and the cleaning ability equal to a much larger machine. “This machine is perfect for use in town centres and confined spaces, and is agile, swift and powerful,' says Euromec. The GA4000 is a larger version of the AC2000, with a 4m3 capacity and 1.6m-3m sweeping width. Then there is the Powerflex, which features a range of interchangeable attachments that enable operators to perform a variety of grounds maintenance tasks, making it a versatile addition to the range.

The BRAVA Pedestrian Sweepers will also be shown, which are suitable for industrial, urban, leisure and commercial floor cleaning applications. “These cost effective machines are lightweight yet robust in design, and will leave the area completely dust free.” More sweepers on show include the Atom, Otto and Boxer. The former is a ride-on machine, specifically designed to clean indoor and outdoor areas that have only been accessible to pedestrian machines.

The simple handle bar system makes steering easy and gives logical controls of all other functions ready at hand. This product also features a patented Dust Buster sweeping system to eliminate dust.

The Boxer is another ride-on sweeper designed to work reliably hard in tough conditions both inside and out. With a wide range of engine options, and a high dump-emptying system, this product enables the operator to empty the hopper without having to move from their seat!

Finally we have the Otto, a high-dump sweeper capable of cleaning over 7000 square metres per hour. This machine features a front-mounted driver position and ergonomically arranged controls, again making it manoeuvrable and easy to work with in confined spaces.

MASSEY FERGUSON is featuring two recently-introduced products on its stand at this year's Saltex show: the MF1537 Compact Tractor equipped with the advanced Dyna-QPS transmission, and a model from the new mid-range MF3600 series which spans the power band from 58hp to 91hp. Rated at 46hp, the MF1547 can be specified with a 12x12 manual gearbox, a three-range hydrostatic transmission or the new Dyna-QPS transmission incorporating Power Shift and Power Shuttle functions within a 12 forward/12 reverse mechanical gearbox with creep speeds.

“Push-button activated, Power Shift allows the driver to change up or down between four speeds in each of the gearbox's three ranges, without affecting power delivery or momentum,” says Paul Lay, public relations and communications manager at Agco, the global manufacturers of Massey Ferguson.

“Similarly electro-hydraulically controlled, the Power Shuttle function enables users to change from forward to reverse travel, and vice versa, by simply flicking a lever mounted to the left of the steering column.”

The MF3600 series comprises the MF3615, MF3625, MF3635 and MF3645 tractors rated at 58hp, 68hp, 78hp and 91hp respectively. Customers can specify 3600 tractors in two-wheel drive equipped with a 12/112 synchro shuttle gearbox, or in four-wheel drive with a 24/24 synchro shuttle transmission. There is also the choice of a flat floor 'Q' cab or an open platform with foldable roll-over protection structure (ROPS). Massey Ferguson will be showing these products amongst others from its extensive range of tractors for turf and ground maintenance professionals at stand number W15 at the exhibition.

JCB has announced that Houghwood Golf Club in St Helens has recently introduced two new team members to tackle their challenging course: a JCB Groundcare ZT20D Zero Turn Mower and the new JCB Groundcare 354 Turbo Compact Tractor. The club purchased the ZT20D model with the primary role of grass cutting in the rough between the 27,000 new trees planted on the course, while the 354 Turbo has a variety of tasks including fairway mowing, aerating the greens and pulling a trailer to transport materials and equipment.

The ZT20D zero turn mower is aimed at the commercial market, and is powered by an 18hp diesel engine, giving multi-fleet customers the ability to use a single and safer fuel. The JCB mower has a fast travel speed of 13mph, making it a most productive type of grasscutting machinery, proven, says JCB, to be between 30% and 50% faster than alternative equipment.

Powered by a 54hp diesel engine, the JCB 354 Turbo comes with a fully air-conditioned cab as standard, and is capable of pulling wide width mowers, making it an ideal choice for large scale commercial mowing tasks. It uses 24x24 mechanical transmission and features selectable four-wheel drive for extra traction. And, with category 2, threepoint linkage, it can power numerous attachments, enabling operators to perform many ground maintenance tasks.

Auto headland management is an innovative feature, which automatically cuts off the driveline to any potentially dangerous rearmounted attachment when it is raised for turning or in transit. This feature also provides productivity benefits, with the operator not needing to manually disengage the PTO, and the driveline to the attachment automatically restarts when it is lowered.

MERCEDES-BENZ UNIMOG is promoting high productivity, all-year round multitasking, and significant cost savings this year on Stand number S31 at Saltex. “There is growing interest in multi-functional, all terrain chassis amongst local authorities and the major contractors,” says Mark Hopkins, Director of Mercedes-Benz Unimog UK. “The future is multitasking. Local authorities and contractors want a chassis that will work all year round and not sit in the depot if the weather is bad or it's the wrong season. Fuel economy is also a vital factor: if we can halve the fuel costs and make the operation faster and more efficient, we can offer significantly better profitability.”

The Unimog, with its fast on-road speeds and all-terrain ability, is an ideal multitask vehicle for LAs. It provides hydraulic power to drive attachments direct from its Mercedes- Benz diesel engine through a variety of Power Take-Odd Points (PTOs), and fuel consumption is as much as half that of conventional or fast tractors.

Fast and easy fitting and demounting of attachments allows the Unimog to maximise its renowned reliability by working all year round. A range of applications will be displayed at Saltex, including the new front and rear mounted flail mowers and gang mowers; arboricultural attachments; and vegetation control products for all types of highway.

KUBOTA will be staging an exciting adrenalin-fuelled off-road 4x4 course for Saltex, which will not only enable visitors to test their driving skills, but will also display the capabilities of the Kubota RTV900 utility vehicle. The vehicle is powered by a three-cylinder, four-cycle 22 HP Kubota ETVCS diesel engine, has a maximum speed of 25mph, and features variable HST transmission, power steering, inboard wet disc brakes and independent suspension. It is available in four different variants, with a range of accessories to enhance its ruggedness, durability and reliability.

“One of the great benefits of IOG Saltex is its ability to allow exhibitors to demonstrate their equipment in a real-world environment,” says Tim Yates, who is responsible for Kubota UK's field sales support, tractor and ground care division. “This year, we are taking that philosophy a stage further, by working closely with the shows organisers to develop an attraction that will undoubtedly add a lot of interest and excitement to the show, while highlighting the significant features of the RTV900.” The course will be sited next to the Windsor showground's North entrance. Enjoy!